2026 Executive Committee
President
Meredith Cammarata, LSCW-R
(Term: 1/1/2026 – 12/31/2026)
Meredith’s current clinical interests and research focus on parenting with cancer, creating interventions for families at the end of life, and racism in the healthcare system. She has authored journal articles and books on best practices for supporting people impacted by cancer.
Meredith has been part of AOSW in many different capacities, including presenter, EXCEL participant, Education Committee member, Conference Committee Chair and most recently Director at Large for the state representatives. Additionally, in 2016 she received AOSW’s Oncology Social Worker of the Year Award. Meredith has great interest in promoting and expanding AOSW both internally and externally, as she believes it provides an excellent forum for cultivating leadership, research, clinical practice, and comradery for oncology social workers. Meredith is a graduate of Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service where she received a Master of Social Work degree with a specialization in children and families.
President-Elect
Kendolyn Shankle, LCSW-S
(Term: 1/1/2026 – 12/31/2026)
Kendolyn Shankle, LCSW currently serves as a Supervisor of the Department of Social Work at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she leads a dynamic team of social work counselors and ensures the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered psychosocial care.
Kendolyn earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Wright State University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Houston. Throughout her tenure at MD Anderson, she has supported patients across outpatient clinical settings and regional community clinical care centers, where she developed programs tailored to meet the unique needs of diverse and underserved populations.
With over a decade of experience, Kendolyn is deeply passionate about addressing cancer survivorship needs and dismantling stereotypes and stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community. Her work centers on developing culturally responsive programs that attend to the intersecting needs of cancer patients, survivors, and oncology care providers. This commitment is reflected in her research and presentations on recognizing BIPOC barriers to care during COVID-19, navigating microaggressions in the workplace, and promoting psychologically safe environments for staff and leaders alike. Through this work, Kendolyn advances resilient teams capable of innovation, ethical decision-making, and compassionate care delivery.
Immediate Past-President
Linda Mathew, DSW, MSW, LCSW-R
(Term: 1/1/2026 – 12/31/2026)
Linda Mathew, DSW, MSW, LCSW-R, is a Social Work Manager at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She has been in the field of healthcare for 20+ years and is certified in cognitive behavioral therapy, meaning-centered psychotherapy, palliative and end-of-life care. Dr. Mathew earned her MSW and DSW from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work (NYUSSW). In her time at MSK, she co-created REACH for Caregivers and co-led the Talking with Children About Cancer Programs. Dr. Mathew is an antiracist practitioner and an active member of MSK Social Work Department’s Antiracism Committee. Dr. Mathew has received many leadership awards, including the prestigious Mid-Career Exemplary Leadership Award and Excellence in Clinical Practice Award from the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network and the National Association of Social Workers. She is a master trainer for ESPEC: Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-life Care. She serves on several editorial boards as well. Dr. Mathew has presented locally and nationally; and she is a published author. Dr. Mathew believes in giving back to the field of social work through her role as an adjunct faculty member of NYUSSW and Smith College. In her spare time, she has a private practice.
Secretary-Treasurer
Leah Walton, LCSW
(Term: 1/1/2025 – 12/31/2027)
Diversity Equity & Inclusion Director
Kristine Naputo, LMSW
(Term: 1/1/2025 – 12/31/2027)
Kristine Naputo, LMSW, is an oncology social worker at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, where she has worked in various roles for over ten years. As a social worker, she supports patients and families navigating the burden of illness through individual counseling, resource navigation, and close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. Kristine has a particular interest in the intersection of palliative care and advocacy of minority communities. She is an active member of MSKCC Social Work’s Antiracism Committee. She has also worked closely with the Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care Program (ESPEC). Prior experience at MSKCC included her supervisory role in Clinical Research, in which she oversaw the data and regulatory management of clinical trials. She has been part of AOSW in various capacities, including participating in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, as well as co-presenting at a webinar and at Annual Conferences. Kristine completed a fellowship at the Zelda Foster Studies Program of Palliative and End-of-Life Care in 2022. She received her MSW at New York University Silver School of Social Work in 2021 and a BS in Public Health at Rutgers University in 2014.
Directors
Advocacy Director
Karen Costello, MSS, LSW, OSW-C
(Term: 1/1/2025 – 12/31/2027)
Karen Costello, MSS, LSW, OSW-C received her master’s degree in social work and social services from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research in 1996. Karen is a licensed social worker in the state of Pennsylvania and has the Oncology Social Work certification from the Board of Oncology Social Work (BOSW). Karen is also American Cancer Society, Leadership in Oncology Navigation (ACS LION) credentialed since 2024.
She has 30 years of oncology experience as a clinic coordinator, social worker, navigator and administrator in academic cancer centers and hospitals and non-profit patient advocacy organizations.
Karen began her social work career with the blood and marrow transplantation team at Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. After that, Karen joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society first as a patient services manager and then as an executive director. In 2009, back at the Abramson Cancer Center of Penn she became a cancer center administrator with a variety of Penns Cancer Network hospitals in the surrounding community. Then with Penn Radiation Oncology, Karen became the practice administrator for several busy clinical practices. In 2019, Karen returned to the cancer advocacy space to become a lead navigator at Cancer Support Community’s headquarters. There she built the existing patient navigation program available to patients and caregivers located on the organizations’ Helpline. In February 2025, Karen will transition to The American Cancer Society to become the Strategic Director of the National Navigation Roundtable (NNRT).
Through the years she’s provided multiple educational presentations to patients, caregivers and health care professionals, and offered posters and articles to provide support and resource sharing as well as promote the professional of Oncology Navigators.
Communications Director
Brittany Hahn, LCSW
(Term: 1/1/2025 – 12/31/2027)
Education Director
Sophia Tsesmelis, DSW, LCSW, OSW-C
(Term: 1/1/2026 -12/31/2028)
Dr. Sophia Tsesmelis Piccolino is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Zelda Foster Studies Program in Palliative and End-of-Life Care at NYU Silver School of Social Work. She leads interdisciplinary education and professional development initiatives that prepare social workers to deliver compassionate, trauma-informed, and collaborative care that is evidence-informed, grounded in reflective practice, and centered on dignity for people facing serious illness, loss, and end-of-life experiences. She partners with academic and community organizations to expand the program’s reach and cultivate leadership and mentorship among emerging clinicians and educators.
A board-certified oncology social worker, she specializes in cancer care, palliative and end-of-life care (PELC), grief, and loss. Her research and practice interests include program leadership, clinical supervision, the impact of care on clinicians, and resiliency, with an emphasis on sustaining the well-being of helping professionals. She has held leadership roles in healthcare, supervising social workers and overseeing psycho-oncology programming at a leading academic medical center in New York City, and she maintains a private practice focused on chronic and life-altering illness, grief, and loss. Her work reflects a commitment to advancing oncology and palliative care social work through teaching, mentorship, and program development. She mentors social workers in oncology and PELC settings, contributes to leadership efforts across the profession, and facilitates community-based support. Dr. Tsesmelis Piccolino earned her BA in Psychology and Hellenic Studies and her MSW and DSW from NYU Silver.
Membership Director
CaTecia Godbee, LCSW
(Term: 10/1/2025 – 12/31/2026)
Research Director
Amy Corvelyn, MSW, LICSW
(Term: 1/1/2024 – 12/31/2026)
Amy Corveleyn, MSW, LICSW, is a clinical oncology social worker. She has worked with cancer survivors and their families for more than 18 years. She is currently a Clinical Social Work Lead for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Amy was the Associate Director of the Collaborative Care and Community Engagement Program at the MGH Cancer Center. She served as the social work case manager and co-investigator for the Bridge Trial. This is the first randomized clinical trial that studied how to improve cancer outcomes for patients with cancer and serious mental illness. Amy is also a member and founder of the Engage Initiative, a collaborative that seeks to ensure that mental health is never a barrier to cancer care. Amy is an active member in the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW). She serves as the chair of the Research Special Interest Group. In 2024, she began her tenure as the Research Director on the AOSW Board.
Director-at-Large – State Representatives
Amy DePaolo, MS, LCSW, OSW-C
(Term: 1/1/2024 – 12/31/2026)
Amy DePaolo, MS, LCSW, OSW-C, is currently Lead Oncology Social Worker-Nuvance East and works in outpatient oncology at Danbury Hospital/Nuvance Health. Amy has worked in oncology for over 18 years. Prior to her position at Danbury Hospital, she was the Director of Program & Delivery at Gilda’s Club Westchester. Amy specializes in outpatient oncology support services for adults and has extensive experience in developing and evaluating psychosocial support programming for individuals and families impacted by cancer. She serves on several committees including Breast Leadership, the Community Cancer Collaborative, and is Psychosocial Coordinator for the Nuvance Health Cancer Institute. She has been a member of AOSW since 2011 and served as CT State representative. Amy currently serves on the AOSW Membership Committee and is also President of the Board for the Connecticut Social Work Oncology Group. Amy received her MS in Social Work from Columbia University.
Director-at-Large – Special Interest Groups
Katie Tremel, MSW, LCSW
(Term: 1/1/2026 -12/31/2028)
Katie Tremel, MSW, LCSW has been an Oncology Social Worker over 10 years. Many of those years were spent in Radiation Oncology providing supportive services to patients, facilitating an all-cancer support group and involvement with several committees including the Cancer, Advance Directives and Ethics Committee. Most recently she serves as the Program Manager for Cancer Support Community – South Central Indiana developing and managing support programs in several counties. Her duties include counseling survivors and loved ones, marketing, building and facilitating cancer programs, along with supervising facilitators and clinical interns. Katie is a Field Faculty Liaison at Indiana University School of Social Work. She earned her MSW from Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012. She has been a member of the Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW) since 2015. Katie currently serves as the AOSW State Representative for Indiana and leads the Ethics SIG. She is past Advocacy Director (2022-2024). Outside of Oncology Social Work Katie stays busy with her two sons, Louis and Rene, and eats the best dark chocolate she can find.